Meng Junchuan drove the car straight to the entrance of the grocery supply station. On a day off, there were quite a few people shopping, but since it was still morning, there was plenty of stock. The young master immediately switched into his “buy everything” mode. Miss Lin’s role was simply to follow along, telling him what she wanted and didn’t want. People inside couldn’t help but glance at them—this young officer was so generous, as if the money and coupons in his pockets would never run out. Envious eyes lingered around them constantly.
“All right, that’s enough. You’re buying too much,” Lin Qianyi quickly called a stop. The young master had a bit of an uncontrollable streak.
The two of them carried their purchases back to the car. Meng Junchuan smoothly drove back to the factory, and before long, they were back at the residential compound. They got out of the car, again receiving plenty of attention, but calmly carried the items upstairs and into the apartment.
“You cook today,” Meng Junchuan said. He didn’t plan to let Lin Qianyi lift a finger.
“Does that mean we’ll only have dinner today?” Lin Qianyi laughed.
“Underestimating me, huh?” Meng Junchuan was slightly displeased.
“Haha,” Lin Qianyi chuckled. “Fine, young master, you do it then.” She stood in the kitchen, ready to direct him. Washing and chopping vegetables, he was already quite skilled; she only needed to guide him for stir-frying.
“The oil is hot enough, add the ginger and garlic to stir-fry.”
“You can put in the chicken pieces now.”
“Hey, flip it quickly, don’t burn it.”
“Yes, just like that.”
…Not bad. This soldier really learned fast—he picked it up quickly and moved with confidence. His movements were smooth and stylish, and Lin Qianyi found watching him very pleasing. Cooking in this hot weather was no small task; even standing beside him, she felt overheated. She ran to grab a fan and fanned him while he cooked.
“No need, just fan yourself. If it’s too hot, go sit in the living room,” Meng Junchuan said, busy with the work at hand. The heat wasn’t an issue for him; training had been much harsher. But Lin Qianyi still helped out. To save time, she prepared a simple bone and radish soup—something that wouldn’t get caught in the smoke. Meng Junchuan agreed.
They ended up making several dishes with all the groceries he bought: stir-fried chicken with green peppers, braised fish, braised pork with tofu, a simple vegetable stir-fry, and the bone-radish soup. Considering it was just the two of them, the portions were reasonable, and the fish was a small one. The dishes looked appetizing and smelled delicious.
“I’ll try it first,” Meng Junchuan said, not wanting Lin Qianyi to start before him. He picked up a piece and tasted it, frowning slightly but saying nothing.
“It’s fine! For a first attempt, this looks great, smells good, and tastes even better,” Lin Qianyi quickly reassured him. She didn’t want him to be discouraged by his silence. She took a piece herself and tasted it.
“Not bad, really good,” she said in surprise.
“Pretty good,” he replied casually.
Lin Qianyi rolled her eyes—it was such a subtle brag! Meng Junchuan noticed her expression and smirked. He had even asked the head of the kitchen for tips on cooking, and when he mentioned he wanted to learn stir-frying, the spatula had almost fallen into the pot in surprise.
Meng Junchuan carefully removed all the bones from the fish and chicken before serving it to Lin Qianyi. From start to finish, he attended to everything thoughtfully, even scooping the rice and soup without asking her to. Lin Qianyi was thoroughly impressed; this guy knew exactly what he was doing.
After the meal, Meng Junchuan cleaned everything up, leaving Lin Qianyi only to make tea, so as not to overwork him. He probably never did chores at home anyway. Lin Qianyi wondered if his mother would feel sorry seeing him do all this. But she still happily enjoyed the attentive service, and he did it willingly.
“Are you leaving tonight?” Lin Qianyi asked, leaning on the sofa.
“Yes, tonight,” Meng Junchuan replied. The base wasn’t far from town; a round trip in a day was fine.
“If you don’t want me to leave, I could stay until early tomorrow before morning exercise,” he teased.
Lin Qianyi blushed. Lately, she’d been turning red a lot. Meng Junchuan noticed her flushed face and couldn’t hide a smile.
“I’ll come whenever I’m free on my days off,” he added.
“Come or not, I don’t care,” Lin Qianyi said, still blushing.
“Of course, I’ll come,” he said jokingly. How could he not? With so many admiring eyes around, he had to take her away quickly.
“Shall we go for a walk to digest?” Meng Junchuan suggested, seeing that Lin Qianyi had eaten quite a bit at lunch.
“Good idea,” she agreed.
The two walked slowly along the paths, greeting a few people along the way. The factory was large enough that the residential area provided a good half-day walk.
Lin Qianyi realized walking under the sun wasn’t wise; it was better to stroll after dinner when it was cooler. Meng Junchuan noticed her slightly sunburned face and felt a pang of regret—they were so used to training under the sun that they hadn’t thought of this. He quickly guided her back home. Not surprisingly, few people were out—everyone else was hiding from the sun.
Back at home, Meng Junchuan fanned Lin Qianyi to cool her down and then went to cut the watermelon.
“It’s my fault. Your face is all red,” he said, giving her a piece, feeling guilty and protective.
“It’s fine. It’ll fade soon,” she replied, thinking of applying some cream. Then she remembered she could just wash her face with the spring water—perfect. Actually, the redness faded on its own, and her face was once again fair and delicate.
“See? All good now,” Lin Qianyi said, turning to him after checking in the mirror.
Meng Junchuan nodded, finally relieved. They promised themselves not to do anything so thoughtless again.
“Tired? Do you want to rest in your room for a while?” he asked, concerned.
“You should rest too,” she said, remembering that he had driven over in the morning and would drive back tonight.
“I’ll just nap on the sofa,” he replied, nodding.